Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
cowardly lion. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
cowardly lion, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
cowardly lion in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
cowardly lion you have here. The definition of the word
cowardly lion will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
cowardly lion, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
After a character in L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900).
Noun
cowardly lion (plural cowardly lions)
- (figuratively) A person who acts tough but misses a golden opportunity out of fear or cowardice.
- "This $13 billion mutual fund, which calls itself "classic growth investing, the Janus way," is in reality a cowardly lion." -Forbes
- "California is right; we trust Washington state will follow in court. Earlier court decisions against the EPA's Cowardly Lion position on global warming suggest legal action may have good prospects." -Seattle Post Intelligencer
- "On the cowardly “lion” derisive nickname: The 49ers PR people are saying that Georgatos/Brown merely overheard a few players joking about that in the locker room, and that Smith was in on it–it was just jocularity among QBs, meaning nothing, and used out of context in the story. That’s what they’re saying." -